Stranger Foods

Pork agrodolce

Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 2 hr 27 mins

I’m a great fan of sweet and sour flavours so this recipe, inspired by the food of Sicily, really suits my palate. Over the course of time, Sicily was invaded by many different cultures, leading to a melting pot of influences across their culinary repertoire. Here, rich fatty pork is married with sweet and sour flavours as well as a touch of north African spice.

Source: Foolproof Roasting Pan: 60 Effortless One-Pan Recipes Packed with Flavour

Ingredients

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Imperial

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1½ tbsps ras el hanout
4 tbsps light olive oil
900 g pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 5 cm pieces
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly sliced
2 sticks celery, roughly sliced
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tbsps tomato purée
300 ml chicken stock
4 tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
2 tbsps honey
2 tbsps currants
2 tbsps capers, rinsed and drained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

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Preheat the oven to 160°C. Mix the ras el hanout with 2 tbsp water and set aside.
Heat the oil in your wide shallow pot over a medium heat. Brown the pork for and once browned, set aside on a plate. You will need to do this in 2 batches.
Add the onion wedges, carrot, celery and bay leaves to the pot and continue to cook over a medium heat for , scraping any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot and allowing them to mix with the softening vegetables.
Next add the garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the spice and water blend along with the tomato purée. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to incorporate.
Add the stock and both vinegars along with the honey, currants and capers. Season well and give it all a good stir. Transfer the browned pork and any juices back into the pot. Bring to a simmer and then pop in the oven, with the lid on, for .
Remove the pot from the oven and turn the pieces of pork over. Put the lid back on and return the pot to the oven for a further .
Once the time is up, the sauce will have reduced considerably and the pork will be lovely and tender. Return the pot to the oven for a final , uncovered, until the sauce has thickened a little further and the surface of the meat and vegetables has caramelized to a dark brown.

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